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10 best PS4 games

Can’t wait for the new round of blockbusters due out this autumn? We played through last year’s offering

Wednesday 02 September 2015 10:30 BST

The autumn slate of new blockbusters is just around the corner with Assassins Creed: Syndicate, Black Ops III, Star Wars: Battlefront, and Destiny: The Taken King due out before the year’s end. We thought it was prime time to look back at the best PS4 games out now, just in case you’re feeling the pinch and don’t fancy spending the full £60 on the imminent releases — or you just can’t delay the gratification any longer. From the incredibly varied and surprising GTA V to the still-mesmerising Journey, from slaying beasts in The Witcher 3 to stalking through the streets as the cowled knight in Batman: Arkham Knight, we’ve covered the best games around so you can get stuck in.

1. Grand Theft Auto V: £37.99, amazon.co.uk

(Rockstar Games)

Remastered and re-released this year with completely overhauled environments, GTA V is a real treat. Perform heists as franchise regulars Michael, Trevor and Franklin as you break into banks, fly a plane into a (flying) cargo plane, and generally get up to no good in a fictionalised version of LA.

2. The Last of Us: Remastered: £24.85, amazon.co.uk

A remaster of a stellar PS3 game, The Last of Us sees you play as Joel and Ellie as you journey across a post-apocalyptic United States in a desperate attempt to create a cure for the Infected. The game’s a brilliant example of immersive story-telling and the remaster bumps up both the graphics and the resolution.

3. Batman: Arkham Knight: £32.86, amazon.co.uk

Developer Rocksteady made a huge splash with their first Batman game, Arkham Asylum, in 2009. This one’s even more visceral as you fly, drive and grapple around Gotham while Batman’s cast of villains plot to destroy him. Don’t be put off by the PC version being pulled off the shelves – this is a gorgeous game with few problems.

4. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt: £40, amazon.co.uk

Based on a series of fantasy novels by Andrzej Sapkowski, the Witcher games see you tasked as monster-slayer Geralt of Rivia, a ‘Witcher’. While the Empire attacks the Kingdoms of the North and the Wild Hunt trails you, Geralt must explore the gigantic open world and fight back. Truly stunning, though the combat can be a little janky.

5. Diablo 3: Ultimate Evil Edition: £27.85, amazon.co.uk

This one might have come out in August 2014 but it’s still one of the best games on the system. Smash, blast and chop your way through hordes of the undead as you take your fight all the way to Heaven. Play as a crusader, barbarian, witch doctor, demon hunter, monk or wizard. Contains both Diablo III and its expansion Reaper of Souls.

6. Destiny: £17.99, amazon.co.uk

The expansion pack’s due soon but the original will make most trigger-happy players content. You play as a Guardian, sworn protector of Earth, as you venture out into the Solar System along with other players to investigate and stop alien threats before they destroy humanity.

7. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare: £29.95, amazon.co.uk

A strong addition to the series and the first PS4 version to really show a leap in graphics. Players now don exo-skeletons and battle in the 2050s. As usual the game’s best when played with mates.

8. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn: £18.96, amazon.co.uk

A strong contender for World of Warcraft’s crown, this massive multiplayer online (MMO) role-playing game is set in the fictional land of Eorzea, a typical Final Fantasy landscape with sprawling deserts and ice-bound mountains. Just be aware that there’s a monthly subscription fee and, like most MMOs, it’s a complete time sink.

9. FIFA 15: £24, amazon.co.uk

FIFA 16 might be just around the corner, but if you can’t afford the latest game then this one’s a must. The players and the crowds really come to life compared to earlier versions and, interestingly, all 22 players on the pitch now react to opponents and teammates, using ‘emotional intelligence’ to adjust their tactics.

10. Journey: £11.99, amazon.co.uk

I have a thing for this game. You’re a robed figure travelling through a vast desert towards a mountain in the distance. On the way you meet other players, but you can’t talk. You can only ‘chime’ little noises at each other. These noises increase the length of your scarf - the source of your jumping ability - and activate parts of the world. Beautiful, sad, astonishing; a piece of gaming art.

Other mentions: There are so many other games that didn’t make the list. Project CARs is a great racing game for anyone addiction to the track; Dragon Age: Inquisition sees you fighting dragons and battling evil; and God of War 3 Remastered is a great entry point for those who missed it on the PS3, and Dying Light, the zombie-parkour game from Techland, is a suitable fright-fest for anyone who wants to replicate 28 Days Later.

Verdict:

We regularly play many of the games on this list, but GTA is the one that’s held our attention the best. For those who want a quick title to play around with, try Journey, and for those wanting a scare, The Last of Us can be pretty shocking at times.